Dr. Gero
|Race=Human / Android |Gender=Male |Date of birth= |Date of death=May 10th, Age 767 (first body) May 17th, Age 767 (second body)Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors, 2004 |Address=Dr. Gero's Lab |Occupation=Scientist |Allegiance=Red Ribbon Army |FamConnect= Future Dr. Gero (alternate timeline counterpart) Android 8 (co-creation) Android 13 (creation) Android 14 (creation) Android 15 (creation) Android 16 (creation) Android 17 (creation) Android 18 (creation) Android 19 (creation) Present Cell (creation) Hell Fighter 17 (co-creation) Son }} Dr. Gero (ドクター・ゲロ, Dokutā Gero), also known as Android 20 (人造人間20号,'' Jinzōningen Nijugō''), is a supporting antagonist in the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise, appearing in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga and the animes Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT. He is a genius scientist who is the mastermind behind the Red Ribbon Androids. Overview History After the Red Ribbon Army's downfall and collapse at the hands of Goku in Age 750, Gero retreats to his mountain laboratory to plot his revenge with his Artificial Humans series. Not until he reaches Android 19 does he create an obedient, bloodthirsty servant. Gero then has #19 transplant his brain into an android body, thus turning himself into Android 20 and preventing him from dying of old age. After his second defeat at the hands of the Z Fighters, Gero retreats to his lab to activate Android 17 and Android 18, who rebel, with Android 17 killing the doctor. Though Gero dies, he leaves behind Android 13, Android 14, Android 15, Android 16, and his ultimate creation Cell. Appearance Dr. Gero's appearance consists of slightly tanned skin, blue eyes, a large bushy white mustache, and long hair. He also has a Red Ribbon Army logo located on the hat that hides his visible brain after he turns himself into an android. Personality Dr. Gero is very cold-hearted, willing to stop at nothing to achieve his goals, even kidnapping other people to use in his experiments. He also holds a strong hatred for Goku after the latter defeats the entire Red Ribbon Army. He has the utmost confidence in his technological skills and intellect, as he believes, even when the odds are against him, that him, or his creations, will succeed somehow. Gero also trusts his creations with his life, believing now that he has "improved" them, they will respect him as their master. Despite his cold heart, however, he was not incapable of affection, as he modeled Android 16 after his deceased son and deliberately made #16 gentle in order to avoid the risk of him being destroyed in battle. Biography Red Ribbon scientist Dr. Gero is the head scientist of the Red Ribbon Army; he was a founding member of the Red Ribbon Army to begin with, and was also effectively in control. He designed the Red Ribbon's weaponry, and created the first androids in the service of the Red Ribbon Army. He built Androids because mechs can be captured and used by the enemy while Androids can think for themselves."Dragon Ball Q&A" section, Dragon Ball Full Color Androids Saga volume 1, 2014 Another scientist, Dr. Flappe is named as Android 8's creator. Daizenshuu 7 addresses this inconsistency by stating that Dr. Flappe and Dr. Gero were colleagues in charge of the Red Ribbon Army's Android Development Program. The Red Ribbon Army is not the primary reason for Dr. Gero's desire to create androids and cyborgs, as he reveals in GT that he always dreamed of replacing the entire human race with artificial beings even before Goku defeated the Red Ribbon Army. Dr. Gero's son was a high-ranking Red Ribbon soldier, but he died hit by an enemy bullet; Gero later modeled the powerful Android 16 after his dead son. At one point, Dr. Gero brought home a doll decorating the command center of an enemy base as a trophy, which he later used as a model to design Android 19. Quest for Vengeance After the Red Ribbon Army is defeated by Goku, Dr. Gero goes into hiding in his laboratory located in a mountain area north of North City. In this lab, he strives to create the ultimate fighting machine. Using an extremely intelligent tracking device disguised as a ladybug, he studies Goku and the Z Fighters for years, observing the fights Goku has with Tien Shinhan, King Piccolo, Piccolo, and the Saiyans Raditz, Nappa and Vegeta. Dr. Gero ceases the study of Goku's power when the Saiyan leaves for Namek, believing he had already compiled enough information; so he simply adjusts the androids' power levels to accommodate for Goku's expected power increase, not accounting for the power level of Goku's Super Saiyan form. Believing he had created the ultimate fighting machines, he finalizes his plans and constructed a series of Androids. Android 16 was modeled on Gero's dead son, a high-ranking Red Ribbon soldier long ago felled by an enemy bullet. In his affection, Gero made him powerful, but did not want him to be destroyed in battle, so he made him gentle. While looking for fresh material for his experiments, Dr. Gero meets two notorious delinquents by chance, two siblings, a boy and a girl. He then kidnaps them and restructures them into Android 17 and Android 18.Daizenshuu 7, 1996 However, the two became rebellious as they retain their human free will, so he deactivated them. According to Android 18, Dr. Gero destroyed all the other androids up to Android 15. 1-7 and 9-12 were completely artificial, but Gero could not control their personalities: too dark, too stupid, too nice, etc. Android 19 was modeled after a doll decorating the command center of an enemy base, which Gero brought home as a trophy. To become immortal, Dr. Gero has Android 19 to turn him into an android,Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2, 2010 Android 20.Dragon Ball chapter 349, "The Androids Awake!""Yes. Now I have eternal life like you." - Dr. Gero, Dragon Ball Z episode 133, "Nightmare Comes True" The only human part of him as an android is his brain, which was transplanted into his android body by Android 19. Dr. Gero has his brain transferred into an energy-absorbing model Android rather than an infinite-powered model, which would have allowed him far greater power reserves. Android 18 hints that it may have been because he thinks that an energy-absorbing model android is easier to use as a host. Gero would later disguise his true identity by claiming that he is merely Android 20, and that Gero had died long ago. While constructing the Androids, Dr. Gero discovers a way to fuse together the cells from the strongest warriors to walk the Earth (Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, Frieza, and King Cold), and tries to create a supreme fighting entity. After realizing that his project would take too long to complete, he decides to turn attention to other matters and leave his supercomputer from his lab to complete the ultimate being, who he names Cell.Explained during Imperfect Cell's flashback to Piccolo. Cell later speculated that Dr. Gero created him to defeat the Earth and later to destroy the entire universe.Dragon Ball Z episode 191, "The Horror Won't End" Android unleashing Two years after Namek's destruction, after easily slaughtering Frieza, his soldiers and his father, Future Trunks informs the Z Fighters that two extremely powerful Androids created by Gero will appear in three years. Three years later, on May 12 of Age 767, at 10:00 am, two Androids appear on an island nine miles south-west of South City: Android 19 and Android 20. Together, they start a killing spree and do not show any mercy or regret; during one point, Gero grabs a man from his car and crushes his skull like a grape, never changing his stoic expression. The Z Fighters struggle to find them, due to the androids having no ki, but Yamcha is the first to find them, attracted to the scene by the scream of a woman. Before Yamcha can act, Android 20 demonstrates a deadly power: Dr. Gero's latest design for Androids, an energy absorbing function. Using a small red jewel embedded in his hand, he grabs Yamcha by the jaw, punches a hole through his chest, and saps his life-force. The Z Fighters detect Yamcha's fast dropping energy, and then find the Androids. After an explanation of their origins to Goku, Tien Shinhan and Piccolo, the fight is about to begin. However, after Goku suggests that they move to another location since there are too many people around, Gero takes it as meaning that he doesn't want anyone to get in the way and single-handedly destroys half the city and its populace with his Bionic Punisher technique. Angrily, Goku leads him and Android 19 out of the city, to avoid killing more people in the fight. In some unknown island, Android 20 begins to explain to Goku why Gero wants to have his revenge on him for destroying the Red Ribbon Army. After the explanation, he orders Android 19 to fight Goku. Goku, at the start, does well in the fight, but due to the Saiyan's Heart Virus that manifests at that exact moment, Android 19 wins the fight. After Vegeta arrives on the battlefield and turns into a Super Saiyan, destroying Android 19, Android 20 runs away. During the ensuing search, Android 20 attacks Piccolo from behind to absorb his energy, only to be attacked by Gohan. He tries to fight Piccolo head-on, but Piccolo is superior by far as a result of the three years of intense training with Goku (and also the fusion with Nail). Piccolo mercilessly severs the android's arm and prepares to destroy him when Gero retreats once again into the rocky mountains. Android 20 decides to retreat into his lab, in order to activate Android 17 and Android 18. Having recognized him as Dr. Gero, Bulma notifies the Z Warriors about the approximate area of his laboratory and they depart for the north. While approaching his lab, Android 20 ambushes Krillin, but spares him in his hurry to activate his Androids. Krillin follows him to his lab and summons the Z Warriors there. Android 20 enters his lab and activates Android 17 and Android 18, having a Shut Down Remote that can deactivate them in case they rebel again. The androids fool him into believing they are obedient, until they snatch the control from him. After crushing it, Android 17 brutally murders Gero by impaling him from behind with his arm, decapitating him with a swift kick, and then stepping on Gero's still-living head. His remains are later destroyed along with what seems to be the rest of his laboratory at the hands of Future Trunks when he fires the Buster Cannon with the intention of destroying Android 17 and Android 18. In the video game Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors, Gero manages to survive this encounter due to a back up plan. On the day of the announcement of the Cell Games, Gero is amazed that Cell has come from the future and went to gain his support in realising the dream of the Red Ribbon Army, only for Cell to reveal that he did not care for Gero's plans. Angry at his rebellion, Gero fights against Cell and is defeated. Gero then says that he is surprised at how strong Cell has become, before he is destroyed once more. Hell By means unknown, Dr. Gero is permitted by King Yemma to keep his android body while entering Hell. Along with Super Perfect Cell, Frieza, King Cold and the Ginyu Force, Dr. Gero watches the final battle between Goku and Kid Buu, being one of the very few people cheering for Kid Buu. Escape from Hell Dr. Gero is first seen in Dragon Ball GT in Hell, greeting Dr. Myuu after Myuu is destroyed by Baby. There, the two scientists work on a plan to create the ultimate android which could destroy Goku. They came up with a plan to combine both of their technologies and achieve the perfect Android by fusing Hell Fighter 17 and Android 17 to create Super 17. Then, they created a dimensional hole to get both androids in the same place, Earth. On Earth, while Super 17 is engaged in combat with Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, Goten, and Majuub, Pan sneakily grabs Dr. Gero from behind to make him deactivate Super 17. During the confusion, he is betrayed by Dr. Myuu who commands Super 17 to kill him, leading to him being killed by 17 a second time. Other appearances ''Cross Epoch'' Dr. Gero is mentioned by Trunks in the crossover manga Cross Epoch. The Vegeta Sky Pirates are supposed to battle with the Dr. Gero Sky Pirates, but the former choose to attend Shenron's tea party instead. ''Dragon Ball SD'' Dr. Gero appears in the second bonus chapter for Dragon Ball SD: after defeating Future Cell, Future Trunks travels even farther back in time in order to stop Gero from making the Androids in the first place. As Future Trunks arrives, Gero is attempting to lure the girl who would eventually become Android 18 to him with a lollipop. Future Trunks attacks but, at that moment, Kid Goku and Krillin arrive. Gero sends out Android 9 to fight them, but Goku defeats him with a single kick. Dr. Gero promises never to cause trouble again, but later goes back on his word by swearing revenge on Goku once again, causing Future Trunks' trip to be for nothing, as the future carries on as it would anyway. Death *In Future Trunks' "flashback" on Dr. Gero's creation of the androids, a Blue Android kills Gero by smashing his brain with one hand. *In Future Trunks' and Future Cell's timeline, Future Android 18 distracts Future Dr. Gero by knocking over some equipment, and 17 cuts his head off. As he warns them about Cell absorbing them, 18 blows up his head. *In the present timeline and the movie Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!, Android 17 impales Android 20 with his hand and kicks his head off, then he crushes it. *In Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors, after returning with a new body on the day of the announcement of the Cell Games, he is killed by the rebellious Cell. *In Dragon Ball GT, Super 17 launches a Full Power Energy Wave that blasts Dr. Gero/Android 20 to pieces. This is when he dies for the second time in the present timeline. Power The exact strength of Gero in his Android 20 form is never elaborated on, given his short time menacing the Z Fighters. Considering Android 20 was able to take down Yamcha (who had previously been seen defeating Recoome) and Krillin, it is obvious that his power is far above the Ginyu Force's. However, if 19's struggles against the Super Saiyans are any indication, then Android 20 is nowhere near the power of a Super Saiyan, in spite of their confidence when witnessing Goku transform. Android 20 also briefly faces off against Piccolo and appears to be completely outmatched, with Piccolo's power increased since the Frieza Saga after the massive amounts of training that took place in preparation for the Androids. In Dragon Ball Z: The Anime Adventure Game, his power level is 10,000,000. Special abilities Aside from his incredible intelligence (one of the best in the world, impressing even Capsule Corporation president Dr. Brief), Dr. Gero has gained combat abilities due to placing his own brain into an energy-absorbing model android. *'Built-in Scouter' – Built into his own Android body is a scouter that allows 20 to detect energy levels. *'Flight' – Like most characters in the series, Gero can fly in the air. However, like most Androids, he does not possess ki, so he flies by the means of a certain machine called Hikou in his body. *'Energy Absorption' – Android 20 has special pads on his palms that allows him to absorb life-energy from his victims by grabbing them. *'Energy Attack' – The most basic form of energy wave used by androids. *'Eye Laser' – A synthetic form of eye laser strong enough to pierce through someone. Android 20 uses this attack in the series, as well as in Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden, the ''Supersonic Warriors'' series, and other video games. **'Bionic Punisher' – A powerful beam shot from both the eyes which is strong enough to devastate an entire city. *'Photon Wave' – The Full Power Energy Wave he used to flee from the Z Fighters in order to activate Android 18 and Android 17. From his energy-absorbing pads, 20 releases a massive wave of explosive energy that can level an entire valley. *'Photon Blast' – The Full Power Energy Ball version of the Photon Wave, Android 20 shoots a pink energy sphere out of his hands. Named in the Supersonic Warriors series. It is called Energy Discharge Blast in Super Butōden. *'Pesky Fly' – The rush attack that Android 20 used against Krillin. *'Precise Cannon' – A Continuous Energy Bullets technique used in the ''Budokai'' series. *'Rolling Crush' – Android 20 kicks the opponent up and grabs them in mid-air to perform a spinning piledriver. *'Power Break' – Android 20 kicks the opponent up in the air, then he punches and kicks them down again, and finally 20 kicks his opponent in the back when he is down. Used in the Budokai series. *'Finish Sign' – A power up move that Dr. Gero used in Dragon Ball: Raging Blast. *'False Courage' – A power up move that Dr. Gero used in Dragon Ball: Raging Blast. *'Twin Drain' – A team attack performed by Dr. Gero and Semi-Perfect Cell in Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2. Video game appearances In Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors, Dr. Gero has a what-if saga creating androids to try and destroy Goku. Every time he tries, Goku and his friends defeat him and foil his plans forcing Gero to return to his lab, defeated. In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2, the World Tournament Announcer refers to him as Dr. Gero, even though he is titled "Android #20" in this mode. Dr. Gero appears in the following video games: *''Dragon Ball Z III: Ressen Jinzōningen'' *''Cult Jump'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden'' *''Dragon Ball Z 2: Super Battle '' *''Dragon Ball Z: The Legend'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors'' *''Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai'' (Non-Playable Character) *''Dragon Ball GT: Transformation'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3'' *''Data Carddass Dragon Ball Z'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Sagas'' (boss) *''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Bakuretsu Impact'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu'' *''Dragon Ball Z: W Bakuretsu Impact'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Battlers'' *''Dragon Ball Online'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Raging Blast'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Raging Blast 2'' *''Dragon Ball Kai: Ultimate Butōden'' *''Dragon Ball: Zenkai Battle Royale'' *''Dragon Ball Heroes'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi'' *''Dragon Ball Z For Kinect'' *''Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z'' Voice actors *Japanese version: Kōji Yada *Ocean Group Dub: Brian Dobson *Blue Water Dub: Jonathan Love (DBGT) *FUNimation Dub: Kent Williams *German Dub:' Gerhard Paul' *Italian Dub: Oliviero Corbetta *Portuguese Dub: António Semedo *Brazilian Dub: Aldo César (DBZ), Luiz Carlos de Moraes (DBGT), José Carlos Guerra (DBZKai) *Polish Dub: Wiktor Zborowski *Spanish dubs: **Latin American: Jose Luis Castañeda (DBZ), Guillermo Coria (DBZKai) Trivia *According to Akira Toriyama, Android 20 and Android 19 were originally meant to be the androids which Future Trunks foretold of, however his former editor Kazuhiko Torishima said that the two looked outdated and ridiculous. So, rather than make them the final androids, Toriyama opted to continue the saga in favor of Android 17 and Android 18."Right around then was when the Androids No. 19 and No. 20 appeared. You weren't my editor or anything anymore, but you specifically called me to say "I thought that the enemies had finally come, but aren't these just a geezer and a fatso?" (laughs) In truth, I hadn't had plans for anyone but No. 19 and No. 20 to appear. But there was no helping it, so I brought out No. 17 and No. 18. Then you called me up and said "What, this time it is just some brats?" So I brought out Cell." Akira Toriyama, Daizenshuu 2, 1995 *Despite being part of the Red Ribbon Army, which plays a major role in Dragon Ball, Dr. Gero was never even mentioned until Future Trunks mentions him during the Trunks Saga of Dragon Ball Z. Strangely in the FUNimation dub, when Future Trunks explains the androids to Goku, he talks as though Goku confronted Gero and spared his life, telling him he should have never let Gero go. Goku seems to confirm this, despite there has never been a meeting between the two. This dialogue is altered in Dragon Ball Kai with Goku instead expressing surprise that someone in the Red Ribbon Army managed to escape its destruction. This is slightly inaccurate, as several Red Ribbon characters and many soldiers seemed to have survived its destruction. **In the same episode dub, Future Trunks also implies that Dr. Gero was the leader of the Red Ribbon Army, despite Commander Red being the leader. **In one flashback sequence from the episode "Double Trouble for Goku", Master Roshi refers to Dr. Gero as the "current leader" of the Red Ribbon Army. This is technically true because, his later creations aside, he is the highest ranking actual member left. **In the FUNimation Dub of the same episode, Master Roshi also claims that Dr. Gero was the leader of the Red Ribbon Army during the time Goku destroyed it, and it is also implied that all of the appearances of Commander Red in the flashbacks were actually of Dr. Gero. *Android 20 loses his right hand during his battle with Piccolo, it appears undamaged when he turns after 17 steals the remote, and when he clenches his "right fist." Also, in the scene when 18 walks over to Android 16's pod, he grabs her with his right hand. *In both Super Android 13! and the brief flashback from Dragon Ball GT, the dialog in which 17 kills him is different than that of the Dragon Ball Z anime. *In "Laboratory Basement", according to plans he finds in Gero's lab, Future Trunks says that Gero was also working on a gas powered toaster oven. *In Dragon Ball Z, Dr. Gero is seen in Hell without his hat when he watches Goku's fight against Kid Buu. Later, in Dragon Ball GT, Dr. Gero is seen with his hat back on. *In the FUNimation Dub, the G in his name is pronounced like a soft J, and the "er" is pronounced as such. While in the Ocean dub, they start pronouncing it differently, with the G sounding like a hard J, and the "ero" sounding more like "arrow," while in the original Japanese and translations that follow this pronunciation, the G in his name is a normal G, as in "grip," making his name "Geh-roh," as in grapple. Gallery See also *Dr. Gero (Collectibles) References es:Dr. Gero Category:Androids Category:Characters Category:Characters who can fly Category:Characters who cannot die of natural causes Category:Cyborgs Category:Doctors Category:Dragon Ball Z Category:Dragon Ball GT Category:Humans Category:Males Category:Red Ribbon Army Category:Villains Category:Characters with on-screen deaths who remain deceased